Finding a Life
by jocelee
Summary: From the movie of Prince Caspian. What happened to the three soldiers that the general was supposed to kill? Find out.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: hey guys. This is just a small fan fic I wrote about the three soldiers that were supposed to be killed…yeah… read and review please.

Finding a Life

I turned to the men behind me. My lip was beginning to swell and there was the taste of blood in my mouth. Miraz would pay. He most certainly would.

I swallowed nervously. Whatever had transgressed between the general and the king bode now well, judging by the menacing glares aimed at us.

"Lysander, what's going to happen to us?" came a nervous whisper from my left.

"Hush, Maximillian. I don't know." I replied.

"Kill us all, I expect," said Dromidian from my right. A battle hardened soldier, he probably knew more about the inner workings of the army than Max and I. This time, however, I sincerely hoped he was wrong.

The general walked towards us with a hard look in his eyes. I could see a drop of blood glistening from the corner of his mouth. I realized that the King must have struck the general. I wondered at how I could have served a king that treated his own men like that. _This is getting awfully close to desertion, Lysander_, I thought. I shook my head to clear my mind of those thoughts. The general approached and with him, my death.

"Kneel!" he barked at us.

With a clatter of armor we did as we were told and bowed our heads. I turned to see tears running down Max's downy cheeks. My anger at Miraz flared up again. The cruel king would have a boy killed before he could even start his life. I heard the unsheathing of a blade. I gritted my teeth and waited for the deathblow.

While most people have their lives flash before them as they die, I saw the life I could have had. I saw myself, not as a Commander in the Telmarine army, but as a married man. I saw my wife cooking over a cheery hearth. I saw my children gamboling about the fields. I saw myself making an honest living, as a merchant perhaps, and then coming home to a happy family. But what did I have? A lonely military life and soon a cool blade through my throat.

I heard the click of metal on metal and a catch on my armor. _Let death be quick_.

Instead I heard a ripping noise. I dared to look up and saw that the general had drawn not his sword, but a dagger and was using it to rip off the Telmarine insignia from our armor.

"Go, " he said. "The King wished you dead but I would prefer otherwise. Go," he repeated more urgently. "Do not get caught or you will be hanged as deserters." He turned and walked away. The three of us stood up amazed.

_I'm free. I can go where ever I want, do whatever I want. Now, I can live._

Max, the first to discover from the shock, let out a loud whoop and jumped around in boyish glee.

"Shut up, brazen young fool! You'll get us caught!" scolded Dromidian.

"We just escaped death and you're telling me to not be happy?"

"No, I'm telling you to shut up before they arrest us for still being alive against King's orders!"

"Barmy old codger," Max muttered. "It's not like there's anybody around to hear us."

It was true. I looked up and down the pebbly riverbank. The river gurgled and laughed from stone to stone. The doors of the empty supply wagons squeaked as they swung on their rusty hinges and several horses were still in the wagon harnesses. I was surprised the Narnian raiders had not taken them last night as well. They seemed to have taken all other supplies.

"So," I said, glancing back at Max and Dromidian. "What's the plan?" I was personally planning on jumping on a horse and heading to the nearest village to find a nice girl.

"We should probably get to a small village and lie low for awhile." Said the ever-wise Dromidian.

"Wouldn't the local militia arrest us though?" Max asked

_Well there goes my plan._

"Then where do you suggest we go?" he retorted.

We paused.

"Calormen."

"The Narnians"

"Wait, what? Max, have you gone mad? The Narnians are our sworn enemies!"

"And think of the Calormen beauties, lad." I added. I knew that there were of major ports in Calor men and a merchant could prosper there.

"Yes, well, I know that but, look. Our own king wants us dead. Doesn't that make you feel the slightest bit vengeful? The Narnians can help us get satisfaction!" Lysander argued.

"Well…." I was starting to see the boy's point. It was Miraz who had drafted me into the army therefore ruining my life.

"Besides, we're not Telmarine anymore. In case you hadn't noticed, they kicked us out of the military." Lysander added.

"What makes you think the beasts won't just kill you?" Dromidian said.

"Don't we know much of what goes on in the army? We can give them information. Formations, plans, positions, everything!" The boy was getting more and more enthusiastic.

"I don't know about you, Dromidian, but I, for one, am going with Max. It seems the safest place for us now."

"Traitors! Snakes! I'll see you all hanged for desertion by the time this war is won!" Dromidian shouted. He cut a horse loose from its wagon ties and swung up. He turned towards Calormen. "You will die in shame!"

The horse's hooves clattered on the rocky beach. Anyone could have heard Dromidian from a mile away.

"Let's go, Max. He's not coming back." I walked to the wagons and picked two more horses. I handed one to Max and mounted my own. I looked across the river at the dark woods. With the sunset setting the sky ablaze the woods looked even darker and menacing. I heard Max trotting up next to me.

"How do we find the Narnians?"

"I should really be asking you that since it was your idea." I looked over at Max

His face flushed red and he turned away. "I didn't really think it through, alright?"

I turned away and pointed at the setting sun. "That's our guide. Their fortress is west of the ford."

"How do you know?"

"One of my men had a scouting mission yesterday."

"Oh. So how do we cross the river?"

"We obviously can't use the Miraz's bridge; they'd catch us. Let's find another way. " I turned my horse upstream.

"Through the woods?" Max's voice went up about an octave.

I looked back to see a frozen look of horror on his face. "I thought you wanted to find the Narnians."

"I do but there are, uh, ghosts."

"Oh come on. The 'ghosts' are nothing but Narnians. When we find them, we surrender quietly and go with them. Understood?"

Lysander gulped and nodded.

"Let's get going then."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: so here's the next part of the story! Enjoy!

Night fell fast and soon I could barely see my horse's ears in front of me. The trees creaked and swayed back and forth. Something didn't seem right.

"Lysander, there's no wind tonight." Max whispered.

I realized he was right. The leaves were rustling and the branches were catching at our armor yet there was no wind.

"It's the ghosts." He said in a wavering voice.

"Nnnonsense," I replied, though my own teeth were chattering. "It's only-"

My horse suddenly reared and I was thrown off. "Oof!"

"Lysander, are you alr- ahhh!" Max's horse whinnied in fright.

"Max!" I struggled to disentangle myself from the vines crawling along the forest floor.

"It's the Na-" He was suddenly silenced.

Before I could move there was a blade at my throat and a curious weight on my chest.

"I will allow you to rise, Telmarine, but only to fight you with honor." Came high boyish voice from above my head.

"I-I do not wish to fight. I surrender, as does my companion."

The blade was pressed harder against my throat. I flinched. Once again, I started to feel my life slip through my fingers. "You will not surrender until I have satisfaction!"

"Reepicheep! Bind him and let him up. He surrenders." A deep earthy voice came from behind me.

"Krinkin! This is Telmarine scum!"

"Hey!" I shouted.

"Reepicheep…" growled Krinkin.

"My honor is-"

"You and your bleedin' honor will be the end of us. It's up to the Kings and Queens what happens to them, not a mouse like you."

The mouse faltered at the mention of the Kings and Queens. "Very well. The Telmarine shall live. For now."

He hopped off my chest. I breathed a sigh of relief

The blade came out of nowhere and the flat of the blade caught me on my cheek. Before I could react, the blade came back across my other cheek.

"Two for flinching."

I stood up with my hands tied, a gag in my mouth and my ankles hobbled. The growing welts on my face were starting to pulsate with blood. It was going to be a long night.

A horn blasted through the early morning air.

"That's the signal for a war council. I reckon you need to be there, Reep."

"Are you sure you can handle these prisoners by yourself?"

"They've willingly surrendered and they have no weapons. I think I can take them."

"Fare thee well then, Krinkin. I'll mention them to the Kings and Queens."

I heard the patter of small feet and turned quickly enough to spot a long, slender tail disappear in the underbrush. I tried to turn over to spot my other captor, or at least to see if Max was alright, but I groaned as my cramped muscles stretched and blood suddenly rushed to my toes. My tongue slid over the slimy gag in my mouth as I clenched my teeth to sit up. I had fallen asleep bracing myself against my bonds and the tree to which I was tied.

A shadow loomed over me, wielding a knife. My eyes widened as it was angled towards my face.

"Mmmmph!"came my gagged protests. I tried to wriggle away.

"Stay still so I can get the gag off, twit." Said the knife bearer as he gave me a soft slap on the head. Shocked, I felt him cut away the gag. I immediately tried to spit out the horrible taste in my mouth.

"Here."

I looked up to see a Dwarf offering me a canteen. He was a Red Dwarf, judging by the red tint in his graying hair. His dark eyes were soft and didn't have that look of cruelty that I had imagined.

"Thanks." I replied. I opened the canteen and sniffed it.

"Now just tell your friend that I haven't killed you." The Dwarf disappeared around the side of the tree.

"Max," I said between gulps of water. "He hasn't hurt me so I doubt he'll hurt you."

The Dwarf came back and I handed him the canteen.

"Thank you, uh, your name, sir?"

"Krinkin of the Black Hills."

"The Black Hills? I haven't heard of them. What's mined there?"

He shrugged. "I wouldn't expect you to know about the hills, laddie, considering they're buried deep in the woods around Lantern Waste. There are black opals, mostly. We get some diamonds every once in a while"

I stared.

He continued. "Not much use to us but humans seem to like the baubles."

Krinkin tossed me a cold meat turnover. "Here's another for yer mate." And he tossed me another turnover. I turned to find that Max had wriggled his way to sit next to me despite that he, too, was tied to the tree.

"Best hurry though. We be leaving soon."

The camp was soon dismantled and all trace that we had ever been there was erased. I was hobbled again but this time to Max. Krinkin shouldered a pack and started to lead us through the woods again.

"You're supposed to know about your own country!"

"It's history, yes. The allies, the treaties, the laws, yes, but I was never expected to know the number of guards around me!"

Caspian and Peter were nose to nose in front of the Stone Table as Reepicheep approached.

"Your Majesties?" he interrupted.

"Report, Reepicheep," said Peter, still glaring at Caspian.

"There are two captives, my liege, headed this way with Krinkin."

Peter finally looked at Reepicheep, confused. "Captives?"

"Two Telmarine soldiers, sir."

"Alive?"

"Yes, sir."

Peter looked back at Caspian with a mocking brow. "Well, Caspian, it looks like someone else has come to you rescue… again." He turned on his heel and left.

"Sir?"

"What is it, Reep?" Caspian said through clenched teeth.

"If I may remind you that although Sir Peter is the High King of old, when he leaves, you will be the reigning monarch."

Caspian smirked. "Yes, there is that."

A/N:Read and review please! I promise to update soon. I have a busy weekend but I will try!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: hey I tried. Like I said, uber-busy weekend. So here's the last bit. Hope you like. Read and review please.

Krinkin led us through the dark dank tunnels of Aslan's How. I had asked Krinkin what this fortress was and he said that the mound was built around a chamber that contained the broken Stone Table. The entire Narnian army was using the tunnels and caverns to store materials and as bunks. The far-off clangs of metal on metal echoed eerily throughout the entire passage.

"They're preparing for war. I'll bet those are the smiths," whispered Max.

"We already know that, dimwit," I said back.

The tunnel opened up into a large chamber with torches burning along the wall, dispersing the gloom. There was a stone dais split in two in the middle of the chamber. In front of it stood Sir Peter Wolfsbane, the Magnificent, High King of Narnia. Although I bowed to him, I bowed just as much to the glorious stone carvin of the Great Lion behind King Peter.

I had never heard the old tales of Aslan, king of all Narnia, in a way that moved me. Here in front of this carving, though, I was touched. Though the stone couldn't possibly convey it, I looked at Aslan's soulful eyes and sensed that he wanted to help me. The Lion had helped others, he had conquered death for the sake of his people. Miraz had never done anything like that. He had barely conquered Narnia much less death. Miraz could barely control his own army and castle.

I had looked in at the other chambers as we made our way through Aslan's How. All the soldiers I had seen, be they fauns, centaurs, or even humans, had looked like they had a purpose to be fighting this war. They wanted a new life for themselves, one that didn't include tyrannous kings or living underground. I realized that I wanted a new life too.

"You have information for us then?" said a miffed voice. I looked up at King Peter. His blue eyes were filled with cold anger but in theire depths I saw something else: desperation. His army was not enough to defeat Miraz and he knew it. He needed an advantage.

"Yes, your majesty. My friend and I were dismissed from the Telmarine army and-"

"Why were you dismissed? Incompetence, perhaps?"

"No, m'lord. I, well, we were… our king, no Miraz, he-" I faltered

Max piped up. "Sir, Miraz wanted last nights raid on the Telmarine supply wagons and armory to seem like a bloody savage attack. Lysander, Dromidian and I were meant to be executed as casualties but our general dismissed us into hiding instead."

King Peter stroked his chin. "What of the third?"

"He would not betray his county, m'lord."

"Very well." King Peter dropped his hands to his hips. "What information can you give?"

I stepped up. "I was Commander of the King's Own of the IV Cavalry. I know the positions of the units, their numbers, their camps, and several of their tactics."

Max came up to stand next to me. "Sir, I was Junior Lieutenant of the Palace Guard."

King Peter's eyes lit up. "Good! Just what we needed." He put an arm around Max's shoulders and led him down one of the tunnels. He waved his hand at me dismissively.

I raised my eyebrows at Krinkin, who shrugged

"You can walk around the fortress just don't bother anyone and don't leave the area. As you know, there are som Telmarine soldiers on patrol."

I nodded my thanks and left.

I wandered through the tunnels, which were gradually getting light as they headed upward. The tunnel widened into a ledge just outside the fortress. I looked down and saw that Aslan's How was built like a pyramid and I had come out on near the top. I sat down and took a deep breath. I was grateful that I could still do that considering how many times my life had been on the line in the past 24 hours. The field in front of me was encircled by woods and I knew that the Telmarine army was steadily marching closer. If I listened closely I could hear the sound of the hammers pounding in the final stakes of the bridge. The afternoon grew hot so I took off my armor and left only my thin cotton shirt and trousers. I looked back at the bees bumbling through the field and spotted a wily fox hiding among the tall grass.

I suddenly saw the flowers crushed by the thundering feet of hundreds of soldiers and the grass turned slick with blood. I buried my face in my hands. I never wanted any of this. I never wanted the glory and honor that was supposed to come with a Telmarine uniform. All I ever saw hidden in the armor was murder and carnage. At least now I wasn't going to be killed in a war.

_Yes, but I'm a captive now. I have no more freedom than I had when I was pressed into the King's Own. They might decide to kill me for all I know._

I knew that Miraz would have killed a prisoner as soon as they had given all their information and ceased to be useful. I certainly hadn't been useful to King Peter.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Hello, soldier."

I looked up and gasped at seeing Prince Caspian's face. "Prince Caspian!" I scrambled to get up and bow.

"There's no need for that, Commander." Prince Caspian sat next to me. "I only came to see if you needed anything."

I looked off towards the setting sun. I had been so lost in my thoughts that the afternoon had passed me by.

"No, Prince Caspian. There is nothing I require. Aside from a warm meal and bed, that is."

The Prince smiled. "That can easily be arranged. Are you sure there's nothing else?"

I turned towards him. "Sir, I want to know what you will do with me. I know you are not as cruel as your uncle but I feel that I am no use to you."

Caspian's smile fell from his face. "I-I actually hadn't thought of punishing you, if that's what you mean. I felt enough scars on your back to know that you are not unfamiliar with my uncle's punishments."

I shuddered. I still felt pain from those welts on my back. Miraz had ordered me whipped after I disobeyed orders to save the fallen drummer boy in the original conquest of Narnia.

"I only want to be left alone to choose my own life, Sir. I've spent enough time forced to do the biddings of others." I plucked at the grass growing between the stones and tossed them over the side.

"That's why, after this war, I will set you and your young friend free."

I looked up in disbelief. _I will be free?_ "Sir?"

"You will be given a small purse, enough to ensure that you won't starve and then you can choose from there."

I looked back at the sunset and I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. The most glorious shades of orange and red streaked across the sky. Here and there, a star poked out is shining head to light the evening sky.

"Thank you, Prince Caspian. That's all I ever wanted."

The prince quietly stood up and headed back into the tunnel. "Your meal and bed are waiting, whenever you are ready."

I nodded, too overwhelmed to speak. The sun was winking out over the horizon. Today was ending but tomorrow's dawn would bring a new day, a new life. I had what I wanted. I was free.

A/N: well as porky pig says "Th-Th-Th-Th-Th-... That's all, folks!" hope you enjoyed


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